In the field of surface covering installation, it can be desirable and/or beneficial to provide transitions between the surface coverings of surfaces forming inside corners. Such inside corners are often at right angles, although inside corners can include surfaces joining at angles greater than or less than ninety degrees. Examples of surfaces forming inside corners include, a wall surface forming an inside corner with another wall surface, a wall surface forming an inside corner with a floor surface, a wall surface forming an inside corner with a ceiling surface, and a backsplash surface forming an inside corner with a countertop surface, among others.
Providing transitions between the surface coverings (e.g., tiles and other types of wall coverings) of surfaces forming inside corners can be aesthetically pleasing and/or can provide sanitary benefits by making the inside corner area easier to clean. In some circumstances (e.g., in commercial kitchens and/or bathrooms), an angled or curved transition between the surface coverings may be dictated by sanitation codes.
As an example, one method of providing a transition between a tiled wall surface and a tiled floor surface includes using cove base tiles. Such cove base tiles are often formed with at least a portion of the tile being formed in a curved shape. Forming the integral curve of a cove base tile can create added time and expense in the manufacturing of the tile.
As such, many tile manufacturers may not produce cove base tiles and/or may only provide cove base tiles in a limited amount of colors, sizes, and/or shapes. In such situations, one desiring to have a particular tile cove base installed may be unable to obtain the particular base or may only be able to obtain it after added expense.
Another method of providing a transition between a tiled floor and wall includes using a floor molding or profiled strip for forming a transition bridge between the floor and the wall. In such cases, the transition bridges are composed of flexible materials such as plastic or metal which remains undesirably exposed at the corner. As such, the transition bridges of these floor moldings and/or profiled strips are often of a second or third material or color/style and, therefore, do not provide uniformity/style continuity between the surface coverings (e.g., tiles) of surfaces forming inside corners.